Benjamin Bratt

Benjamin Bratt was born on December 16, 1963, in San Francisco, California. He is the third of five children born to Eldy Banda, a nurse and political activist of Indigenous Quechua Peruvian descent, and Peter Bratt Sr., a sheet metal worker. His early life exposed him to activism, with his mother involving him and his siblings in the 1969 Native American occupation of Alcatraz, an event that raised awareness for Native American rights. Bratt pursued higher education at the University of California, Santa Barbara, earning a B.F.A. in 1986. He later enrolled in the M.F.A. program at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco but departed to begin his professional acting career, securing a role in the 1988 television film ‘Juarez.’

Bratt’s career gained momentum with consistent work in television and film during the late 1980s and early 1990s. He appeared in the television series ‘Knightwatch’ and ‘Nasty Boys.’ His first significant film roles came in 1993 with ‘Blood in Blood Out,’ where he played Paco Aguilar, and ‘Demolition Man,’ where he portrayed Officer Alfredo Garcia. The following year, he held supporting roles in ‘The River Wild’ and ‘Clear and Present Danger.’ However, his breakthrough arrived in 1995 when he joined the cast of the NBC drama series ‘Law & Order’ as Detective Reynaldo Curtis, a role that garnered him international recognition and an Emmy nomination. He remained with the series for four seasons, leaving in 1999 to focus on his film career and family. He reprised his role as Detective Curtis in ‘Exiled: A Law & Order Movie’ (1998) and a guest appearance on ‘Law & Order’ in 2009.

Following his departure from ‘Law & Order,’ Bratt continued to diversify his roles in films such as ‘Traffic’ (2000), ‘Miss Congeniality’ (2000) opposite Sandra Bullock, and the biopic ‘Piñero’ (2001), where he portrayed the Puerto Rican poet Miguel Piñero and earned an ALMA Award. He also appeared in ‘Catwoman’ (2004). His voice acting credits include his portrayal of Manny the cameraman in ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs’ (2009) and its sequel (2013), and the main antagonist Ernesto de la Cruz in Disney-Pixar’s ‘Coco’ (2017), which won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. In television, he has had roles in ‘The Cleaner’ (2008–2009), ‘Private Practice’ (2011–2013), ‘Modern Family’ (2010–2020), ’24: Live Another Day’ (2014), and ‘Poker Face’ (2023). He is slated to appear as Bail Organa in the Disney+ series ‘Andor’ in 2025. Bratt is also a producer, notably on projects formed through his production company, 5 Stick Films, which he co-founded with his brother Peter Bratt and Alpita Patel, focusing on films of social relevance.